Slumping Cards turn to Wainwright in finale with Brewers
Baseball Betting Lines
08/18/2010 - (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Milwaukee Brewers have gotten a first-hand look this year at just how dominating St. Louis Cardinals ace Adam Wainwright can be. Looking to play the role of spoiler, the team gets a chance this afternoon to deal the All-Star right-hander his first loss at home this season.
Milwaukee will try to solve Wainwright and stretch St. Louis' losing streak to a season high-tying four straight games today in the finale of a two-game set at Busch Stadium.
The Brewers handed the Cardinals a disheartening 3-2 setback on Tuesday night, getting all three unearned runs in the third inning after a Felipe Lopez fielding error. Prince Fielder hit into a double play right after the miscue that plated a run before Casey McGehee drilled a two-run homer.
Starting pitcher Dave Bush did his part for Milwaukee, allowing just four hits -- one a solo homer by Albert Pujols -- over six innings before exiting due to a blister on his right index finger. Though the Cardinals got to within a run in the eighth on a John Axford wild pitch, the closer recorded the final five outs to notch his 18th save.
"It's nice to be able to stick it to a team that's up there in our league right now," Axford said.
While Milwaukee won for just the third time in eight games, St. Louis dropped its third in a row, one shy of a season-worst four-game slide posted from June 6-9. The Cardinals fell two games back of Cincinnati for first place in the National League Central and 1 1/2 back of the Wild Card spot.
St. Louis hurler Jaime Garcia took the loss even though he gave up just the three unearned runs over six frames.
"I thought he was in some of his best form," Cardinals manager Tony La Russa said of Garcia. "I think he was outstanding."
La Russa has seen Wainwright in top form all year, and he hopes his hurler can keep it up tonight. Wainwright's 17 wins are tied with Colorado's Ubaldo Jimenez for most in the majors and he leads all of baseball with a 1.99 earned run average.
The 28-year-old has won three straight starts and seven of his past eight decisions. He carries a 21-inning scoreless streak into this outing and followed a two-hit shutout of the Marlins on Aug. 6 with seven innings of two- hit ball Wednesday versus the Reds, a victory that had put the Cardinals into first place in the standings.
Wainwright, who is 11-0 with a 1.22 ERA in 12 starts at home this year, has won both of his starts versus the Brewers this year, allowing just a run over 18 innings while striking out 17.
Fielder and Ryan Braun are a combined 0-for-14 with five strikeouts versus Wainwright this year, while Corey Hart has the lone RBI off him with a solo homer.
Drawing the tough task of opposing Wainwright is left-hander Randy Wolf, who has won back-to-back starts and has pitched to a 3.16 ERA in four outings since allowing 12 runs in a setback to the Pirates on July 21.
Wolf beat Arizona on Thursday even though he gave up four runs, seven hits and four walks over six innings, fanning eight while improving to 9-9 with a 4.86 ERA.
Wolf, who turns 34 on Sunday, beat the Cardinals on July 1 with 6 1/3 innings of one-run ball and is 4-6 with a 3.64 ERA in his career versus them.
He won't have to face Colby Rasmus, as the St. Louis outfielder is expected to be out of the starting lineup for a second game in a row due to a strained right calf. Rasmus did pinch-hit in last night's contest.
The Cardinals have won 15 of their last 25 versus the Brewers, though the clubs have split eight meetings this year at Busch Stadium.
Toronto, ON (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Currently tied for first place in the Eastern Division, the Toronto Argonauts try to continue their recent run of success as they face off against the Hamilton Tiger-Cats in a divisional showdown at the Rogers Cen
<< Als seek return to win column in clash with Bombers
Montreal, QC (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Hoping to bounce back from just their second
loss of the season, the Montreal Alouettes entertain the Winnipeg Blue Bombers
at McGill Stadium on Thursday night.
According to the most recent power rankings in t
<< Yankees resume series with Tigers in the Bronx
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The New York Yankees will once again be without star third
baseman Alex Rodriguez this evening when they continue their four-game series
against the Detroit Tigers at Yankee Stadium.
Rodriguez left Monday's tilt with
<< Eli Manning back on the field with Giants on Wed.
ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) -Eli Manning is back on the field.The New York Giants quarterback joined teammates for stretching on Wednesday morning at training camp at the University at Albany.Manning, who needed 12 stitches to close a gash on the left side of
<< Hurricanes' Thomas granted extra year
Coral Gables, FL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Miami-Florida forward Adrian Thomas was
given an extra year of eligibility by the NCAA after injuries cost him nearly
two full seasons.
Thomas suffered back-to-back season-ending injuries four gam
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Continued dominance on the mound has given the San Diego Padres their largest division lead of the season. Clayton Richard will try to keep that momentum going and win a fourth straight decision for the second time this ye
Red Sox go for ninth straight win over Angels >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Boston Red Sox try to beat the Los Angeles Angels of
Anaheim for the ninth straight time this evening when the two teams continue
their three-game set at Fenway Park.
Boston continued its recent mastery of the
Phils put streak on line in second showdown with Giants >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Philadelphia Phillies are certainly capable of winning
a fourth straight National League East title, but getting into the playoffs is
the ultimate goal.
Now a game up on the San Francisco Giants for the NL Wild Card po
Rays aim for sweep of Rangers at the Trop >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Tampa Bay Rays go after their fifth straight win this
afternoon when they try to complete a three-game sweep of the Texas Rangers at
Tropicana Field.
After rallying for a 6-4 win in Monday's opener, the Rays cruised
Mariners hope for series win over Orioles >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Seattle Mariners put it all together in last night's
win over the Baltimore Orioles with solid pitching and timely hitting. Another
performance like that in Wednesday's finale of a three-game set would give the
Mariners t
Brandon Roy Favorite to Win 2007 NBA Rookie of the Year
Portland TrailBlazer’s guard, Brandon Roy, is MySportsbook.com’s overwhelming favorite to win the NBA Rookie of the Year odds.
Despite missing 20 games due to an injury earlier this season, Roy has definitely put up the best numbers of his 1st year peers. In 32 games, Roy is averaging 15.3 PPG, 4.2 boards and 3.5 assists in over 33 minutes of play per game. While most rookies breakdown as the season progresses (see Morrison), Roy is only getting stronger as his playing time and scoring average has increased each month.
With 30 or so games left in the regular season, Roy isn’t a lock for the award by any means. Other rookies are putting together some pretty impressive campaigns and a few could give Roy a run for the award with increased playing time. Heading the list is first pick, Andrea Bargnani of the Toronto Raptors. Even though he has started only two games all season, Bargnani is averaging 10.3 PPPG while shooting 35% from deep.
Randy Foye of the Minnesota Timberwolves could be set to give Roy the best competition NBA Rookie of the Year betting lines. With the benching of Mike James, Foye looks like he could be the starter in the T-Wolves backcourt for the rest of the season. So far, Foye has averaged 9 PPG and 2.4 assists in just under 21 minutes per game. With his new role of starter, Foye’s numbers will definitely increase. In his first game as the new starting guard this past Sunday, Foye had 10 points; five rebounds and 8 assists. More importantly, he logged 34 minutes of playing time; his third highest run of the season.
Adam Morrison, of the Charlotte Bobcats, was the favorite early on in the season after averaging 15+ PPG through the first month of the season. Ever since his torrid start, Morrison’s point production has declined each month. This really isn’t surprising, considering at 6’8” he only weighs 205 lbs. Obviously he will need to hit the weights big time during the off-season in order to keep from breaking down in the future.
Be sure to log on to MySportsbook.com to bet on the NBA. With the regular season about to hit the homestretch, it is important to point out that MySportsbook.com has the highest credit card acceptance rate in the industry.
To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com - this sportsbook accepts credit cards.
Betting Football
NFL Football Betting OnlineIs there such a thing as a trap game in the NFL?
I once asked that question to Pete Korner, who at the time was office manager and a senior linesmaker for Las Vegas Sports Consultants.
Korner almost ripped my head off. There is no such thing as a trap game, he loudly berated me. It’s a myth. The numbers are made using power ratings, he said.
There are trap games, though. They just might not be what you think. The perception is of a good team, say Philadelphia, laying a small number against New Orleans.
Using the highly-respected power ranking from The Gold Sheet, you’d find the Eagles with a power rating of 4 and the Saints at 8. When you factor the game being played in New Orleans, you could see why the line opened so short at less than a field goal.
For some, this makes it enticing to take the Eagles. That’s not a real trap game, though.
A real trap game, says professional gambler Dave Malinsky, is thinking you’re getting value betting a bad team, which brings us to the Oakland Raiders-Denver Broncos matchup.
The Raiders are +15 in this long-standing division rivalry. Denver is on a short week having dispatched Baltimore Monday. However, the Raiders haven’t covered the spread their last 10 games.
Many bettors don’t trust the Raiders to give a full effort. Few think much of Art Shell and his Oakland’s coaching staff.
So oddsmakers have to do something to make Oakland attractive if they hope to get equal action.
Now Malinsky is a value shopper. But he won’t touch the Raiders even getting more than two touchdowns.
“I try to eliminate the undisciplined, unfocused teams because they’re the ones most likely to suffer the bad beats,” he said.
Near the top of Malinsky’s list of stay-away teams is the Miami Dolphins, who have yet to cover a spread this season.
“Whatever you think of Nick Saban, you have to look at the penalties and turnovers,” Malinsky said.
It’s easy to point out the Dolphins failed to get the money this past week against New England because Olindo Mare missed a field goal and had another field goal blocked. But even though the Dolphins outgained the Patriots, 283-213, they committed eight penalties.
Bad teams not only cost themselves victories, but pointspread covers as well. The Arizona Cardinals and Green Bay Packers are two more examples.
The Cardinals couldn’t have been in a better position this past Sunday, up 14-0 at home against a mediocre Kansas City Chiefs squad. But they couldn’t hold it. The Packers got a push against St. Louis, but also could have won losing by three when Brett Favre fumbled at the St. Louis 11-yard line with 44 seconds left.
“The Packers were in a position to beat Philadelphia, too,” Malinsky said. “But they couldn’t even cover double digits.
“These teams just make mistakes and it costs you … they always will look good from a value standpoint. They really will. But that’s the trap.”
Houston and Tennessee rank among the six-worst teams. Malinsky wouldn’t be afraid to take either of these teams, however, if the price were high enough.
The Texans are bad, Malinsky said, but they have some discipline. The Titans showed they could not only come up with an outstanding game plan, but execute it as well, losing by one to the Colts on the road as an 18 ?-point underdog this past Sunday.
“Jeff Fisher is a worker,” Malinsky said of the Titans coach. “I’m not sure how hard Art Shell wants to work when he gets out of bed.”
Fisher, though, could be out as Tennessee coach after this season. Is he still worth backing in the right spot, with the right price, as a lame duck coach?
“It’s in his nature to keep working hard and not worry about any possible lame duck status,” Malinsky said. “He’s coaching for his resume.”
Note: Monday night game will be picked Monday. Lines used are from football betting lines.